


Kingdoms Fall

by WhenWeNextMeetMyFriends



Category: None - Fandom
Genre: 4 elements, Elements, Magic, Magicks, Might as well get some feedback, My friend and I are doing this for fun, Other, So this is just kinda, my story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-13
Updated: 2017-03-15
Packaged: 2018-08-30 16:08:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8539663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhenWeNextMeetMyFriends/pseuds/WhenWeNextMeetMyFriends
Summary: 4 elements4 worthy1 evil kingMorals will be questioned. Minds can be broken. Lives have been ruined in:Kingdoms Fall





	1. Chapter 1

Once upon a time… there were no elements. Humans had no magic, and nature’s wrath killed as quickly as they grew in number.  
Four of these humans changed everything. They were blessed by nature, and gifted the use of her true power.  
Skylark was gifted the swift coolness of water.  
Ashton was blessed with the fiery raw power of fire.  
Emilian was allowed the use of the air, and her majestic beauty.  
And finally, Quinton was brought the sheer size of the Earth itself.  
These four beings taught the other humans how to control smaller elements of their own.   
But there was one man who was jealous of the unity between these four, and how powerful their elements were.   
Damion wanted to be in charge. He wanted everything, and most of all he wanted to belong with them. But yet, they rejected him in fear of his dark personality.  
To retaliate, Damion harnessed the terrifying energy found in the shadows, the inky blackness that forms through nightmares and horror stories. He was the night, terror of all, and he had a cruel hatred towards those that wronged him.  
The peacekeepers, those 4 original elementals, fought and fought to keep the world bright and safe from this horrible man. They warred for many a year, until fate became cruel.  
In a furious rage, Damion struck down the 4 elements, succeeding in his plans. He stored away their elemental magick, so no one would ever have the strength to oppose him again.   
Forevermore will the world be in darkness, until those elements can rise again to defeat the dark king, and rule the land once more in peace and harmony.  
==========================================================================================================  
\--CHAPTER 1--  
I had never known the light.  
The world had been shrouded in darkness for as long as I could remember. My whole life, there had been no sunlight, no happiness, nothing. It was all outlawed decades ago by the king, Damion.  
My grandmother, however, was alive back in the time of the sun. She always described those days as warm, comfortable, bright. Hopeful.  
I had wanted to see them. I still do. I would always run outside at what I hoped was morning, only to be severely disappointed when all I saw was the blackness from lack of sun, and the biting chill I had only gotten used to from the missing rays of warmth.  
I also never knew quite what color was. The world seemed so black and gray that the concept of other colors seemed incredible. I wanted to see these other colors, but I never knew what they looked like, so how would I know I was seeing color?  
The house I grew up in was on the outskirts of the kingdom, near where the farmers would use their retained elemental powers to grow food and give us fresh meat from day to day. Their power was weaker than it used to be, and the food always tasted a bit stringy, but it was all we had. There would never be anything better.  
When I turned 15, it was time for what my family called a ‘spiritual quest’. All kids do this when they reach a certain age that varies from family to family. Going on this quest was supposed to open your eyes to the world and unlock your true potential.  
My mother was zipping up the coat she had gotten me just for this occasion, and I noticed her face had a few tears running down her cheeks. I brushed them away with my hand, and she smiled at me.  
“My gorgeous Skylar, make our family proud.” She pulled me into a crushing hug, and all I could do was hug back. I was leaving her and my grandmother behind to do this. This quest was one I had to do alone.  
I grabbed my bag full of extra food and drinks, and set out on the dirt path. I closed my eyes and let my feet carry me, eventually feeling the brushing of branches and leaves on my face, meaning I was in the woods.  
I opened my eyes and set along a few critter paths deeper into the woods. I had stopped only a couple times for quick breaks, so by the end of the ‘day’ my legs were shaking from exhaustion. I sat down under a tree, and pulled out some dried meat and a few berries I had picked along my way. It wasn’t much, but I wasn’t the biggest eater anyways.  
After eating my small meal, I curled up at the roots of the tree and looked up at the ever-present stars. They were gorgeous, as always, and I made sure to see all the constellations I had memorized from my grandma.   
Staring up at the infinite sky made me smile a bit. It may suck for it to be eternal darkness, but the night sky had it’s perks. I closed my eyes, and was nearly about to drift off to sleep when I heard a faint whisper.  
Follow… I sat up quickly, looking around for the source to that whisper. After a few moments of silence, I rationalized that I was probably just hallucinating.  
Follow… me… There was the voice again! I stood up and looked around to see a faint glowing. I looked to my right a bit, and saw something I had never seen before.  
It was a small glowing… ball. The color wasn’t black, or gray even. It was something else, something lighter. Not knowing what this was, I moved closer, only for it to drift away.  
Follow me… follow me… It continued to follow the glowing ball, my eyes hurting a bit to just glance at it. I was led deeper into the woods, and ignored my exhaustion in favor of curiosity.   
Eventually the ball stopped, and I stopped a bit away from it. Thanks to the small glow it offered, I could see it was in front of a crumbling stone wall. Looking up, my eyes adjusted to the darkness to see a massive structure, looking like a castle.  
The glowing ball continued forward after a moment, and I continued to follow it. It led me into the castle, and down some of the massive halls into a throne room.  
Sitting in the middle of the room was a locked box. The box seemed to be made of wood, and upon further, closer examination it had a few chains wrapped around it to keep it closed.  
Open it… free it… Free it? “Free what?” Free the power… I let out a frustrated sigh, and went to work on the chains and lock. Surprisingly, at my touch it all fell apart. I gently opened the box, and saw a bright beam shoot up from the box.  
I squinted, moving my arms up to cover my face, as the room changed. The black vanished, instead being replaced with… something else. Something beautiful.  
When I had adjusted enough, I moved my arms and was amazed at everything I saw.  
I could see the bricks now, crumbling around the room and walls. There was something I could only describe through my grandma’s words as color. There was little black, and instead I could see different shades and things I never would have seen before without a flashlight.  
And floating up from the chest was a beautifully made bracelet. The metal on it was a soft gray, while interwoven with the metal was some strange colored stone I had never seen before. I reached out, and before I could touch it it had formed on my wrist snugly. The light died down, but was still there. It seemed the source for this light was the bracelet itself, as it cast a light glow on me.   
I didn’t understand this, any of this. What was this bracelet, this castle? The only person I knew who might be able to tell me was grandma. I turned and ran out of the castle, only stopping at my old campsite to grab my bag before trekking back to my home in hopes of finding some answers.


	2. Meeting Them

I made it home around… eh, who cares about time anymore? It doesn’t matter, as there’s nothing significant that would tell us about time anymore.  
I walked in the door, and my mother was surprised. She asked what had happened, why I was home after barely 24 hours, and all I replied was I needed to see grandma.  
I ran up to her study and stood behind her. “Grandmother… I need you to tell me about color.”  
I explained the whole story, and she seemed to be excited and happy, especially at the sight of my glowing bracelet.  
“Oh my sweet Skylar… I’m so proud of you. You found the legacy of your namesake, Skylark.” Her soft, warm voice caused a slight blush to appear on my cheeks from the praise. But her words also raised some confusion.  
“What do you mean, found her legacy? What is her legacy?” Her smile dropped into a sad smile, but she didn’t lose the twinkle in her eyes.  
“That’s quite a long story that goes back to when I was a little girl. That bracelet on your wrist? The stone is a color called blue, which is the same color as the sky, water, the ocean. There are many different colors, but there is no time to talk. Even now, Damion is searching to destroy you. You have one of the powers that could destroy him, along with 3 others. You must find them, before he finds you.”  
There was a knock on the door downstairs. My grandma took my hand, and placed a small locket in it.  
“He is here. You need to run, quickly, before he catches you. The others can explain, but go!” She shoved me out the door, and I ran to the backdoor. I jumped out, and ran like she said. My bracelet was flickering and glowing brighter and brighter, countering the darkness outside as I entered the woods once more.  
I only stopped when I couldn’t run anymore, collapsing on the ground in a heap. My left hand was still clutching the locket, my right was holding one strap of my backpack. I was panting hard, struggling to catch my breath.  
Once I was finally calmed down and able to breath again, I stood back up and continued moving. I didn’t know who to find, or what my grandma was saying. All I knew was I had to keep going, get away from whoever was there.  
I don’t know where I went, but all I could see was trees. Trees in every direction, their leaves hanging off the branches, only attached by a limb and sometimes falling off. I shivered, feeling the biting chill that meant winter was coming soon.  
After a while, I paused in walking. I had heard something, like the crunch of a step on broken leaves. I listened, and heard several more, much quieter, footsteps coming closer.  
I whipped around, looking everywhere for the source only to see a faint light. The light from my bracelet seemed to grow in response to the new light.   
The light grew closer, and from it I could make out a person. I stopped, afraid.  
“Hello?” Came a bold voice. Curiosity overtook me, and I allowed myself to answer.  
“Who are you?” I said, and I could make out blinding eyes the same color as my charm. Blue. And a wonderful color too.  
“I could ask you the same.” The person stepped into the light, and I could make her out better.  
Her hair was a shiny black color, one I had never seen before. Her skin was tan, an unusual thing nowadays. She was chubby, and wore a leather jacket and some jeans. The thing that stood out the most was the glowing gem imbedded in a ring on her right hand.  
“I’m Sky. You?” I felt a bit more relaxed seeing the gemstone.   
“Emily.” She smiled, and walked closer. From behind them came another person, a girl that wore mostly black clothes and a necklace that held a glowing stone as well.  
“I’m Ashbel, thanks for asking.”  
“Don’t be a prick, Ash. You gotta be nice to new people.” Emily warned, still smiling at me with a bright smile.  
“What is the color of your gem?” I asked, hoping I’d get the chance to learn a new color.  
“Mine? It’s white, or so my grandfather tells me.” She says, and then I look to the one called Ashbel.  
“Yours?”  
“I don’t know.” Ash says.  
“It’s red.” Emily says, and Ash looks tensely at her.  
“How do you know?” I asked.  
“Didn’t your parents say? Did they not tell you about the rainbow?” Emily asked. I shook my head. Her blue blue eyes lit up with excitement, something I had not seen in a long long time.  
“Red is the color of fire, the color of the sun, my grandfather told me. Orange is the color of the sunset, yellow the color of honey, green is the color of grass and of the leaves in the trees. Blue is the color of water and the sky, purple is the color of flowers.”  
“What does that even mean?” Ash and I said at the same time, and it looked like Em would burst into song.  
“Ash’s eyes are black, mine are blue, and yours are green. Your hair color is red, mine is black, and so is Ash’s.” She grinned. “Don’t you see?”  
“I see…” I smiled slightly, noticing the light growing in this small area. “So… when did you find those stones?”  
“I’ve had mine the longest, nearly a year now.” Emily twirls the ring around her finger. “Ash has only had hers a few weeks. We don’t quite know what they are yet…”  
“You haven’t heard?” I smiled, recalling at last the bedtime story from when I was little. “The story of the first elementals?”  
They both shook their heads. I gestured for us all to sit, and I began to speak. “Once, there were no magicks. Humans were just humans, unable to control their own portion of the world. Then, 4 humans were gifted the gifts of the elements.   
“Ashton was the fire element, Emilian was the air, Quinton was the earth, and Skylark was the water. These four ruled the lands in peace and prosperity, and even showed others how to control smaller elements.”  
I felt my smile grow as I retold the story from my grandma. “Then, one day there was Damion. He was unknown to any of the four founders, thus thought of as strange and unwanted. He grew angry, and slayed each of them with his abilities, thus plunging the world into eternal darkness.  
“It is said that if these 4 elements are recovered, Damion will be defeated, and light shall return to the world.”  
I giggled, looking down at my wrist to the bracelet. “If it’s true… then maybe we’re the ones who are chosen. Maybe we’re the ones going to fix everything. Maybe we’ll bring back the true light of the world.”  
“Question.” Emily said, and I nodded at her. “What is light?”  
My mouth dropped. Ashbel seemed to be confused by light as well. “You don’t know what light is?” Her head shook. “Look at your ring.”  
She did so, albeit a bit confused. “That glow is called light, and it’s the opposite of darkness. It allows us to see and allows things to grow better. It used to be everywhere, and could define day from night. But now it’s gone.”  
“Damion took it, right?” Ashbel said. I nodded, looking down at the slightly lit up ground.  
“Well we can’t let him keep it for himself.” Emily moved a few steps away before turning to us. “Come along you two. We gotta hurry.”  
“Hurry for what?” Ash questioned, following after her. I brought up the rear of our group.  
“Well isn’t it obvious? We’re on the run from the man who wants us gone. And isn’t there still one more of us out there?”


	3. Finding Four

So it turns out no one knew where we could find this last person. So we were basically a bunch of dumbasses wandering in the fucking terrifying woods for a stupid-ass time.  
“Does anyone else feel like we’re going in circles? I feel like we’re going in circles.” Emily repeated for the 100th fucking time.  
“No shit Sherlock.” Ashbel groaned, leaning against a tree.  
“You remind me of someone. Someone who swore a lot.” Emily says, and I roll my eyes.  
“We’ve been in this fucking woods for fucking forever! When is this fucking person gonna fucking show up?” Ashbel said, completely pissed off.  
I took a seat on the ground, completely exhausted. I haven’t slept in forever, and I could barely move right now. While the others bickered about where to go and what to do, I closed my eyes for a minute of sleep.

 

I woke up and the stars were awake too. I looked beside me and saw unmoving bodies. A dark liquid was pooling from around their bodies. I wondered what it was, so I dipped my hand in it. It was sticky, warm, and….  
It was blood. Red red red blood, the color of Emily’s lips. I began freaking out, silently at first, then louder.  
“Your friends are dead. I will rule forever, the darkness will be eternal.” A shadow of a person said, and I started crying. I was attached to these people, though I hadn’t known them long. I cried for the lost daydream of light.  
“Your turn, Skylar.” I was flood with shadow, and the eternal darkness reigned over me.

 

“BAH!” I shouted as I woke up. I couldn’t move, and at first I thought I was paralyzed. Then I felt a warmth on top of my body, two warmths, to be exact.  
“Go back to sleep, Sky.” Emily said sleepily. Looking around a bit more, I noticed Ashbel was using the other half of me as a pillow. It felt… right, somehow, to be sleeping like this. God that sounded bad.  
I nodded, and I think they fell right back asleep, as I was left staring up at the stars and nearly crying. I held it back mainly so I wouldn’t wake the other girls, but also so I wouldn’t have to explain anything later.  
I hadn’t thought much of it before, how much pressure was being put on us. The world was dark, everyone was looking for the next source of light… it was up to us to bring the daylight back. It’s too much pressure…  
After that dream, I was terrified. What if we failed? What if we don’t find the last one of us? What if… so many what if’s.   
I found myself drifting in and out of sleep as these thoughts fluttered through my mind, preventing any good sleep with dreams of darkness and blood and death.

 

Later on, we found ourselves at the edge of a ravine. It seemed infinite due to the darkness blocking the view of the bottom. I don’t know why, but I felt drawn to the bottom and the faint sounds of something moving.  
“What do we do now?” Ash asked, looking to our right and left. “It goes on forever!”  
“Oh, I don’t know,” Emily spoke, turning on what I call ‘sarcasm mode’. Ashbel is doomed. “Maybe we could leap over or something!”  
I froze, feeling… something. A foreboding sense of wrong, a chill running up my spine… I didn’t like it. Something was here. Something was wrong.  
I looked around, scanning the dim lighting between trees for whatever was there. My bracelet was glowing uneasily, and I noticed the other’s lights had dimmed as well.  
“Guys…” I gestured for them to silence. They looked over, and I noticed they were tense as well.  
“Someone’s here…” I felt the ground shake below us, and we all tumbled to the ground, holding on to each other as the ground shook more and more, then suddenly stopped.  
“What… what was that?” Emily exclaimed, and I noticed her shaking still. I wonder why she’s shaking so hard.  
“Yeah… sorry I’m not sorry about that.” We turned to the sound of a new voice to see a pair of practically glowing bright green eyes that mirrored my own.  
“Wh-who are you?” Emily meekly whispered, moving closer to Ashbel and I. I pulled her close, needing the comfort as well as everything in me told me to run.  
“Who am I?” He grinned, and his smile seemed forced and cruel and… terrifying. He wore an earring on one ear that drew my eyes as a stone glowed a dark brown, pulsing with power. A sensation of dread flooded my veins as I realized who this is.  
“I’m Gray, element of the earth. I’m going to need to bring you all in to the king, Damion.”


	4. Free Falling

We all stared up at the boy lording his power over us. I think I speak for us all when I say I was cold, terrified, and honestly cringing at this feeling of wrongness.  
“You’re… you’re too dark…” Ashbel muttered, and I felt her clinging to Emily and I as well. “This… this is all wrong…”  
“Yeah yeah, I know. Now I’m gonna need you all to-” Everything froze. Time stopped completely for everything but me. Gray was frozen in the middle of a word, and a quick glance at Ashbel and Emily showed they were both paused as well.  
A flash from my left drew my attention, and I noticed a small blue light. It seemed like the blue ball that led me to my bracelet, so I figured it would be good now.  
“Jump in the water. It will keep you safe.” It’s voice was soft and silky, sounding feminine in some ways. There was a slight lilt that hinted at a different accent. Before I could ponder it much longer, it was gone and the boy resumed his rant.  
“-come with me. Damion wishes to… meet you all.” The way he said that made me feel even worse.   
“By ‘meet us’, you mean he wants to destroy us himself I assume.” I blurted out, a rush of confidence hitting me. I heard a slight gasp from my friends, and the boy’s smirk fell slightly.  
“Our good king would never dare do such a thing as to destroy such potential. He knows better.” Gray sauntered forward, and I backed us up to the edge of the deep ravine.  
“Would he? Haven’t you heard the original story? He cares for no one but himself, and all he wants is to rule.” I held my friends tightly, moving more in front of them. The draw to the bottom of this cavern was stronger now than ever, and I think I knew what the blue glow meant.  
“You don’t know anything, do you?” He sneered, drawing closer. I backed us even more until a single push would shove us over the edge.  
“I think I know enough, thank you very much.” I gave him a 2-fingered salute, and shoved the 3 of us off the edge.

((Sorry for the short chapter lol))


	5. Discovery

I heard the screams of my friends and I as we fell into the darkness for what felt like an eternity. We clung to each other and screamed until  
FLOOSH!  
We were completely submerged in some liquid. It didn’t hurt falling into it, so we swam to the top and took in deep breaths of air.  
“What- *gasp* -the heck was that, Skylar?” Emily smacked my arm, seeming not so scared anymore. I laughed a bit, a smile on my face.  
“At least we got away dumbass!” I floated on my back, this liquid feeling different and better than anything I had ever drunk before. Wait…  
“Water… this is water!” I giggled and flopped around, drinking some of the cool, refreshing liquid. It tasted amazing, better than anything I’ve ever had before. I could practically feel my body buzzing with energy.  
“Get me out of here!” Ashbel was flailing around, so I swam over with ease and dragged her to the shallow part of this pool of water. She scrambled out, and I swear to god she fluffed up like a cat and hissed, trying to dry herself off.  
Emily giggled a bit, crawling out as well and leaving me alone in the pond. “Ashbel I swear, you hate water and you’ve barely given it a try.”  
“It’s weird and cold and I hate it.” She shook, freeing herself of some water droplets. I let out a sigh and finally got out of the water, instantly feeling a bit more tired. I wrung out my clothes of the remaining water, easily drying off before I get too cold.  
“So how do we get out of this one?” Ashbel questions, looking up to the crack we fell down. I take a look up there as well to see the ground closing overtop, completely blocking us in.  
“Dang,” Emily says, standing up, “That moron locked us in!”  
“He’s working for the one who wants him dead!” I exclaim, and Emily looks at me with confusion.  
“What if… what if he’s not the right one? What if he doesn’t know better?”  
I frowned. “No, he was the right one. I… I felt his power back there, it was just wrong and… corrupted.” I shivered, just remembering the power.  
“Umm, who cares right now? If we don’t get out of here, Damion will kill us!” Thank you Ashbel for the kind reminder of our impending doom.  
Looking around, I noticed a light glow in the water. I jumped back in, and heard Ashbel and Emily calling for me as I dove down to inspect it.  
Swimming through the water was the easiest thing I’ve ever done. It felt natural, and I found myself needing no breath of air. I dove down to the bottom of the pool, and noticed the glint of light led to a cavern below the water. I swam back up to my friends, scaring them as I surfaced.  
“Guys, I think I found somewhere to hide for a bit until we can find a way out. Follow me.” I dove back down, and made sure my friends were following at a decent pace.   
We eventually reached the cave, and I grabbed their arms to help them in. They surfaced in the cave, coughing and taking in deep breaths. Meanwhile, I easily floated up and was busy looking around the small air pocket.   
The small cave had rock walls that seemed damp, and other than this air pocket there wasn’t much here. Looking around, it seemed like a safe place to hide out a moment.  
Emily seemed to be holding Ashbel, and they were both shivering. I frowned, not noticing any coldness, and spoke up. “You two okay?”  
“F-fine,” Emily muttered through her chattering teeth. “Th-the water is f-f-freez-zing.”  
I frowned, swimming around the two. I wished the water could be warmer… and slowly, Ashbel and Emily stopped shivering and didn’t seem as cold.  
“It warmed up…” Ashbel frowned, looking at the water. “How did it warm like that?”  
I shrugged, and noticed my bracelet had changed. Pulling it closer, the color seemed to have shifted to a nearly clear color, and the light was bright enough to light the whole cave with ease. I saw Emily and Ashbel squint and cover their eyes at the light, but I just smiled.  
“I think… that the gem did it,” I moved the light around, observing all the shadowy corners. “I mean… if the legends are true, then maybe I can control water. It makes sense… right?”  
“Yeah… and that Gray kid really does control the earth,” Ashbel smiled a bit as well. “So between Emily and I, we have air and fire… right?”  
“You’re right,” Emily giggled, brushing her long, wet hair out of her face. “But… how will we know?”  
I shrugged, moving to one of the walls of the cave. “Maybe it’ll just… feel right. That’s how I felt with the water.” I leaned up against the wall, relaxing slightly in the water. I watched Emily and Ashbel slowly swim over, and I held onto them both, feeling their comforting warmth against my cold, wet body.   
Ash yawned, and uneasily held on to the wall as she drifted off to sleep. I made sure she wouldn’t float away or sink while Emily nodded off as well. Feeling way too much energy to sleep currently, I held onto my two friends and made sure they were safe and warm.   
All was quiet in the water, and all was safe. For now.


	6. Fighting For You

I woke the others after a few hours, letting them get some easy rest before we left again. I had heard some splashing about outside the cave, and assumed that we were safe after hearing no noise for over an hour.  
Once they were both awake and swimming, I dove under the water and swam out to check for any baddies. Surfacing and heading to the edge cautiously, all I saw was a few drops of blood and a scrap of green cloth. I bit down on my lower lip, and swam back.  
“Are we safe?” Emily questioned as soon as I surfaced. I nodded, but felt sick while doing so.  
“You okay?” Ashbel asked, looking worried. I nodded, smiling to cover up my disgust, before leading them back out to the ravine. I made sure we went somewhere other than the bloodstain, since I didn’t need them worrying about it either.  
For the next long while, we wandered along the ravine searching for a way out of there and back to the surface. The top was still blocked off, and so far it was just frustrating trying to find some tunnel or opening to escape through.  
“Forget it,” Ashbel groaned, throwing herself down on the ground in anger. “We’re never getting out of here. We’re doomed.”  
Emily frowned, obviously pissed off. “Look Ashbel, we’re all hungry and tired, but if we don’t find some way out and stay optimistic, what’s the point?”  
“The point is,” Ashbel stood up, glaring at Emily a bit, “that maybe we’re all going to be stuck here forever, making that dumb king and his rude servant’s job much easier.”  
“Guys, I think you need to calm down a bit,” I spoke softly, holding my hands up. I was tired and hungry as well, but that didn’t mean we had to fight.   
“No, I’m perfectly calm,” Emily countered, “It’s dear Ashbel here that needs a chill pill.”  
“I don’t need to chill. I just need you all to shut up and give in to the inevitability of our current, impending doom.”  
“Guys, stop.” I said, though my voice was weak. I had a bad feeling here, something familiar yet not.  
Ashbel groaned, stomping away from Emily. “How am I supposed to remain positive? I’m soaking wet, freezing, and we’re trapped underground!”  
“Don’t you think I’m not excited about this either?” Emily snapped, moving closer to the frustrated Ashbel. “I’m freezing as well. I’m scared too Ash, but if we don’t get out of here then we all will die anyways. Then what’s the point?”  
“The point is maybe it’s pointless!” Ash turned away from Emily. “Maybe… maybe we’re not meant to win. Maybe this is all hopeless, and Damion will rule forever.”  
“We can’t think like that!” Emily moved forwards, and took Ashbel’s hands into her own. “We have to do this. We’re going to win.”  
I couldn’t move. I wanted to warn my friends, but I was stuck in place. All I could do was watch as something dark, even sinister held me back. My bracelet flickered weakly as I struggled to do something, anything.  
I watched as Ashbel and Emily finally felt it, as they suddenly stiffened at the sense of darkness, as they noticed my still form and ran over. I could only watch as they froze as well.  
“Well… well… well… what do we have here?” A cold, slithering laugh echoed through the cavern as the darkness grew to snuff out all light. I lost sight of them, I couldn’t see, the darkness was suffocating.  
“Look at these little children… thinking they could defy the great king.” I struggled to fight against the oppressive darkness, and I saw a small glow of light from my wrist.  
“We…” My voice was weak and scratchy, but I could speak. “We won’t… give in to you…”  
“Hahahah… your pathetic fighting makes me laugh. What do you expect to happen?”  
I felt like I was being squeezed through a straw, but I managed to choke out a few more words. “I intend… to f-fight… for the hope of the world…”  
I felt his grip lessen, and I dropped to my knees, coughing and gasping in all the fresh air I couldn’t breath in.  
As soon as I’ve recovered, I look up to see a man with dark, olive skin and pitch black eyes. His hair is perfectly trimmed, and he’s wearing a suit and a black crown with colorful gems embedded into the prongs. Damion.  
Suddenly, seeing him before me like this didn’t seem as terrifying. I recalled the stories, of how Damion’s bitterness stemmed from the rejection of the four main elements. A pang of pity struck, thinking of him being pushed aside by the rulers of the world.  
He seemed to be thinking as he stared down into my eyes. I stood, stumbling slightly before I regained my balance, and he just watched. There was silence a few more seconds before he decided to speak.  
“You won’t win. I have years of experience. You have maybe a few days worth.” His voice was clear, none of the snake-like hissing I had heard before. My bracelet was warm against my skin, as if begging me to act out. I held my ground, chin held high.  
“You want me dead.” My voice was confident, far more confident than I was feeling. “You hated them because they pushed you away. Why so much bitterness, however, I don’t know. Why do you hurt so bad?”  
“Why do I hurt?” His smile, when it appeared, was seemingly carved into his face. It was unnatural, and honestly terrifying. “They forced me away because I was scary. They feared me, so they rid of me.”  
I… honestly felt bad for this guy. I know he’s evil and all but still… that’s kinda harsh.  
“Now… why don’t you hand over you and your friends’ gems so I can kill you all and go on with my day?” His smile was gone, replaced by a cold, expressionless face. I grabbed my bracelet and held onto it tightly.   
“I think you know why I can’t do that, sir.” I backed away from him a few steps, and heard the rushing of water from a ways back. If I could get back to the water…  
But he has Emily and Ashbel. They’re both frozen behind him, each pale and too still. I may not have known them for long, but I knew that I had to help them.  
“Go ahead. Run.” I felt my gem glowing, and something felt right about this. I would do what it takes to save my friends, no matter what.   
The rushing drew close, and that’s when I actually felt my control of the rushing waves. I felt my power, and I used it. The water swirled around my feet, and the light from the bracelet shone through the cavern, chasing away the darkness.  
Damion seemed surprised, as he was just watching. I saw my 2 friends drop to the floor as well, coughing and shaking. I forced the king away from them, shoving up a thin veil of water to protect them.  
I moved closer, feeling my energy drain but adrenaline rush through my system as I reached the king. I noticed in his hand was a sword black as night, seeming as sharp as diamond. He smirked when I was close enough, and swung.  
Into my hand came a sword as well, a light blue with icy cold edges and a watery middle. I raised it, and our swords clashed, his strength nearly overwhelming me. He pulled away and struck again, but I was faster than him. I dodged, using my sword to knock his away.   
“You’re nearly as skilled as she was,” Damion struck again, and I jumped back, swinging at him as well. He easily knocked my blow aside, thrusting forward. I moved away, but he cut a deep gash into my side, causing a white-hot pain to flare up. I fell to one knee for a brief moment before struggling to my feet.  
“Again? You’re still willing to fight?” He laughed, and a shock wave threw me back into a wall. I hit my head hard, and saw stars. With a groan, I fell to the floor, but I got back on my feet by using the rocky wall for support.  
“Foolish child. Don’t you see this will just get you killed?” His face seemed confused at my fruitless efforts, but I just stumbled over to where I had dropped my sword and picked it up.  
“Stay away from her!” Damion turned to the voice the same time I did, only for him to be thrown back by a huge gust of wind.  
Emily stood there, her hair whipping about in the wind and her ring glowing brighter than my gem. In one hand was a pearly white sword, constantly shifting and adjusting to her strength. In her other hand she was holding to Ashbel for dear life.  
Ashbel’s eyes were glowing a bright orange, and so was her necklace. Her black hair glowed like a star, and the room felt extremely hot.  
Seeing he was outnumbered, Damion stood back up. He looked over to the three of us, and vanished in the blink of an eye.  
All my adrenaline gone, I fell to my knees, my sword vanishing into thin air. The glow died down considerably, and Emily and Ashbel rushed over.  
“You silly idiot, what the heck was that?” Emily knelt by my side, tearing at the dress she wore to bind the bleeding gash. Ashbel was also tearing strips of the dress and tying them around my head. I suppose I was bleeding there from when I hit the wall.  
“I needed to delay him,” I leaned against Ashbel for support as I felt incredibly tired, “so you guys… could get away…”  
“Get away? And leave you? Never.” Ashbel smiled down at me, and I smiled back. “We’re a team now, got that?”  
I nodded weakly, closing my eyes. Emily finished tying off the cloth around my side, and pulled me into a firm but gentle hug.  
“You will never do that again, do you hear me?” I nodded, hugging her back. Only then did it finally sink in.  
“Air… and fire… you two did it…” They both nodded, smiling a bit. I smiled back. “Kay cool, I’m gonna sleep now.” Aaaaand I passed out.


	7. Seeing the Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After fighting Damion, Skylar and friends continue searching for a way out of the ravine, while also trying to devise a way to save the earth element Gray from Damion's clutches.

I held on to Emily as we slowly limped, well only I was limping, continuing on our path across the dark ravine. I watched Ashbel lead the way, using her bright gem to light up the area. It made sense that since Ash was fire, her gem would shine brightest.  
We only stopped when I couldn’t go any further. We sat against a few rocks while I struggled to regain energy. The earlier fight exhausted me, and the cut in my side was exhausting me. I felt Ash nearby sitting next to me, and I think Emily was a ways away.  
Staring up where the top of the ravine would be, it was still completely closed off thanks to Gray. This was frustrating, and we were all starving. If we didn’t get out of here soon, we could die. But… somehow, I didn’t think on that too much. Instead, I thought about us.  
Ashbel, Emily, and me. Back when I had confronted Damion, all I could think about was saving Ash and Em. I needed to delay the king, distract him so Emily and Ashbel could run and be safe. But even when give that option, they stayed. They stayed by my side, and probably saved my life.  
I only have known them for a few days, but yet we were closer than ever, bonded under the need to survive. And our main objective was escaping here and helping Gray.  
As I thought that, I noticed a small hole in the ground up above. Looking a bit harder, I noticed the hole was wide enough to fit through.  
“Em, Ash,” I stood shakily, staring at our exit hole. “Guys, I see a hole.”  
I pointed it out to the others, and saw Ash’s expression turn grim. “But how do we get there?”  
“I… I think I’ve got this.” I looked over to Emily and saw her determined face. She closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, and floated an inch off the ground.  
“Whoa…” Ash seemed surprised, but I just smiled as we all were lifted off the ground in a breeze. We floated higher and higher, and one by one we were lifted out of the hole.   
Emily was the last one out, and she collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily. She seemed exhausted, but yet she was still smiling.   
“Emily, that was freaking brilliant!” Ashbel laughed a bit, laying on her back. I sat next to Emily, lightly hugging her.  
“That was amazing, I must say.” She nodded, sitting up weakly.  
“Yeah, but I must say it’s extremely tiring.” Emily yawned softly and curled up in my lap. “So I’m just… gonna nappy nap…”  
Soft snores emitted from the sleeping girl, and I turned to Ash. “You can get some rest as well.”  
She scoffed, sitting up. “Nah man, you’re injured. Sleep, I’ll keep watch.” She turned so her back was to Emily and I. I shrugged, gently moving myself so Emily and I were comfortably curled together, and passed out pretty quick.

 

**Ashbel POV**  
My friends were sleeping behind me, leaving me alone to sit and think. I had grabbed my necklace off from where it usually sat, and was staring at the gem Emily had called red. I could feel my emotions and thoughts swirling in the cold, crisp air, biting into me like some annoying bugs.  
So… Emily is air, Skylar is water… and I’m supposedly fire. I squeezed my eyes shut, clenching the jagged rock in my hand enough that it was nearly cutting into the skin. Who decided that?  
I let out a small sigh, relaxing before I hurt myself. I glanced over to my friends once more to see Emily’s peaceful face clashing with Skylar’s look of pain. I felt a sharp hit at the back of my mind.   
If I hadn’t frozen up… he couldn’t have gotten to me, I could’ve helped Skylar. I could’ve stopped her from being hurt…  
It kinda hurt to know that I was the last ‘element’ to not unlock any form of their power. I wanted to learn but whenever I searched for the power… it wasn’t there.  
I jumped a bit at the sound of a strangled yelp. I turned to my friends to see Emily sitting up, breathing heavily, tears pricking the corners of my eyes. Instantly, I knew what she was dreaming of.  
“Come here,” I held out my arms, and she crawled into them. I held her close, comforting my best friend once again. “Was it them?”  
She nodded, hugging me tighter. “Alyce… she… he has her…” I pulled away, looking the smaller one in the eyes.   
“We will save Alyce, Emily. We have to, right?” I smiled a little, trying to be a warm presence in the darkness of her mind.   
Alyce was Emily’s best friend. Since Emily found her element first of us, and no one really knew what it was, the king showed up on her doorstep first. She ran with her best friend, Alyce, but the king caught up. Alyce played it off like she was Emily, and the king took her. Emily… Emily blamed herself for the loss, and vowed to find her friend and make the king pay for hurting her.  
“Yeah… yeah, you’re right…” She roughly wiped away her tears, and nodded. “I’m going to find her… safe…”  
She curled up against my side and dozed off pretty quick. I was back alone with my thoughts, which isn’t always a good thing. Most of the time my thoughts could get very dark and twisted, but that’s just my old sense of humor biting me in the ass.  
I wrapped an arm around Emily and sighed, not wanting to let her go. She was the one who saved me after all.  
When I found my element, I was near a volcano, and my platform holding me above the lava was quickly crumbling due to a blast of energy that came with releasing it. I was struggling to get up and away when she found me, lifted me from the hole, and dragged me far far away.  
She explained my power was wanted by the king for whatever reason, and that according to her family we had to get away. So we ran together, and it’s been only a few weeks, but it feels like forever. She was my friend, and I never wanted to let her go.  
My thoughts were drifting so much, it was hard to pull it all back together when Skylar woke back up. I had noticed her sitting up, but it was a slight shock when she hugged me from behind.  
“You doing okay?” Her voice was soft, seemingly innocent. It was a quiet sing-songy feel that comforted me to some degree. I nodded, turning to look her in her bright, sparkling eyes that seemed as calm as the water down below. In her bag, I noticed the glint of a bottle, and tilted my head.  
“Did you bring some of the water with you?” I questioned, and she nodded. She pulled out the bottle, and opened the top.  
Inside, it was nearly filled to the brim with water. Her expression brightened just by being near exposed water like that.  
“I filled more than just this of course… I couldn’t leave it all, so I grabbed some while you and Em were sleeping.” I nodded in approval while she closed the bottle back up and stored it away.  
“Do you think we could get moving soon?” I asked, readjusting Emily so I could face my friend.  
“Once Emily wakes up, I would think so. Why wouldn’t we?” Her smile was so pure as she moved to sit in front of me.   
“Hey Sky…? Can I see your magic again?” I was still amazed and even jealous from her spectacle from earlier. The way she could suddenly move so gracefully had even carried over to now.   
She giggled, and a slight wave caused her sword to reappear. I reached over and ran my hand along the icy cold weapon, my hands stinging at every touch. The blue shades glowing and clashing cast an eerie but beautiful light around us.  
“I want to practice… well, fighting with it. But I don’t know where I’d start.” I grinned, and moved Emily to lay down. I dug around in my bag, and produced 2 wooden swords.  
“Put your sword away. Where I come from, we did a lot of sword fighting events and such, so I could teach you a thing or two.” Her sword vanished into thin air, and I handed her the wooden sword.  
I noticed immediately her grip on the handle was off. I smirked, and waltzed over.  
“Skylar, you hold the weapon like this,” I fixed her grip, and once more backed away. “Alright, now let’s duel. The best practice is trial and error.”  
With an uncertain nod, she went on the attack. Her blows, like most beginners, were easy to block. Yet, she had this grace about her that allowed her to move away from most of my swings.   
We battled for a good few moments before I disarmed her and had her pinned below my sword. She was breathing heavy, and I was as well, but a smile was still on her face.  
“You’re great Ash!” I let her stand, and slid my sword back in it’s bag. I smiled as she continued on. “You must have been learning for years, you’re amazing!”  
“It’s where I come from really. I learned how to fight at a young age so I could earn honor and respect among the village.” I shrugged it off, but a smile still was on her face.  
“My home was all about scholars, and learning about the past, so I was never really outside or a fighter. I wish I could do something like that.” Her smile seemed a bit more sad than anything now, so I didn’t push it.  
“Let me just show you a few things, okay?” I walked over and from behind, I guided her hands on the hilt. “Your swings were too wild, when in reality you can control shorter swings with ease.”  
She nodded as I demonstrated a few short swings, making sure her stance was steady as well. After a few moments, she could repeat these movements alone, and so I moved back.  
“Remember, stance wide and body low. Keep your center of balance straight, and never look away from your opponent.” She nodded, and I took the sword from her. “I believe that’s enough for now, as Emily’s woken up.”  
I heard grumbling from the small human on the ground as she sat up. “Dangit Ash, I was gonna spook her.”  
Skylar giggled a bit, and I smiled as well. “Come on guys, we should get back to moving. Let’s set off once more.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry this isn't done right away, but this story is kinda just a fun idea, and is being pushed aside for other projects on my wattpad. Don't worry, this tale is far from over and I plan to finish it up and post the ending few chapters for anyone who actually is reading this. Feedback is appreciated, and thank you.  
> ~Skylar  
> P.S.: This chapter may not be as great as the others as I wanted to look into a bit more of the other characters and their feelings. I just wanted to do some deep shit and it failed I'm sorry.


	8. Burning Bridges

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end result if our trio does not prevail has been spotted. Things are gonna get harder if they want to bring light back.

I was carrying the back of the group as we trekked through the woods. Ash and Em were talking in the front, and I was more concerned with the burning pain in my side.

I hadn’t told either of them, but the pain felt worse than before. I hadn’t had a chance to check out the wound, but it might be infected. I would have told them, but they were already occupied with their own thoughts and learning their own magicks, so I had let it be. It would heal soon.

I was so lost in my thoughts, I didn’t notice Ashbel stopping, and bumped into her back. I jumped back, and she turned to grin.

“Great job shortstack.” I shot her a teasing glare, and she laughed. “Come on, I know where we are.”

She jumped a bit and moved on forward. Emily and I shared confused looks before chasing after our excited friend.

She suddenly stopped near the edge of the woods, giving Emily and I time to catch up. When we did, it was a horrific sight.

Buildings were torn apart, blood paved the roads and bodies were littered about everywhere. Some bodies were no longer recognizable, while others were clear to see faces of horror.

“My… my home…” Ashbel’s voice was hollow, and she moved towards the town as if in a trance. Emily and I stayed behind, as to give her some space.

 

**Ashbel POV**

My feet moved without me telling them, dragging me closer and closer to my nightmare. I recognized bodies, faces of my neighbors and friends that I had known before Emily.

Walking around, I could feel a dozen different emotions all at once. Pain, anger, hatred, sadness. The buildings were torn apart, ripped limb from limb and most of the debris was littered about in the pathway between houses.

I finally reached the center of town. The training arena. This was where I learned everything I knew about how to fight and protect yourself. It was the only thing barely touched. The only thing within it were two bodies, hung, and a bloody message on the floor.

_ ‘Death does not discriminate.  Why should I?’  _

I clenched my fist, seeing red and only red. I felt my body heat up, and a bright blue flame spurted out from my hand. I watched it spread down my arm, travel down my body, and burn the bloody message until all that was seen was a black scorch mark.

The fire faded, and all I felt was… empty. Looking back at the bodies, I hardly had the energy to identify them. I fell down onto my knees, holding my arms tightly around my middle, and mourned.

The king was the reason behind this. I knew it deep within my core that all of this was from  _ him _ . And if I had my way, I’d burn his kingdom to the ground, force him to watch as everything he’d worked for was destroyed right in front of him. His death will be by my hands, and it will not be fun.

A hand, cold against the feverish skin on my shoulder, drew me out of my thoughts. I looked up to see Sky, a lost look causing her blue eyes to mist over.

“I… think it’s time to go.” Her voice was soft, concerned, as she looked back down to me. I nodded slowly, standing up, and saw Emily was nearby, digging through some rubble. She seemed to be searching for something, but was unable to find anything. I could tell, I knew the king would never leave anyone alive.

I took Skylar’s hand in mine, and flinched slightly at the contrasting temperatures. My skin was too warm, hers too cold. She seemed to recoil as well, free hand instinctively going to her wound. I’d have to check the bandages later to see how it was healing.

“Ash?” Emily walked over, seeming exhausted. Her eyes were dark by fear, and she slouched unlike ever before. “If this happened to your town… do you think…”

“He probably went after your towns as well.” I hated to admit it, but this was on purpose. If he did it here, I would hate to see what remained of Emily and Skylar’s homes.

“Let’s not think about it.” Skylar seemed to be emanating positivity by the way she held a smile on her face, even after what we’d seen. “We should keep moving.”

“Where? Where are we going?,” Emily demanded, rounding on the redhead in frustration. “We’re starving, you nearly died, our homes could be destroyed by now-”

“We’re going to help Gray.... aren’t we?” Sky looked confused when Emily’s face turned to a scowl, and continued. “He could be brainwashed by the king, or he may not know the original story. He’s one of us… we need to stick together, right?”

I couldn’t find a way to fit into the conversation, so I observed as they clashed. It seems like Emily likes getting into confrontations.

“BUt he works for the king!” Emily growled, backing up. “He willingly works for the king-”

“That’s wrong!” Skylar’s smile had fallen down into a slight frown. “I… I think he’s being forced to.”

“What on earth makes you say that?”

“Well…” Skylar recounted how she’d seen some of his clothing torn off and next to blood, suggesting he’d been hurt by someone, or something. Emily looked a bit more concerned as mother mode turned on.

“If… this is true, then we have to find him.” Emily nodded once, and I agreed silently. “We can’t just let him be hurt like this.”

“Maybe together… we can bring light back.” Sky’s hopeful expression lit up Emily’s face, and her ring glowed in response.

We stood there together, in the midst of ruin and heartbreak, with hope in our hearts and a fire in our soul.

Too bad it didn’t last for long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've returned from the void. I think. I dunno, it's cozy down there I suppose. Anyways, this was mainly written because someone (you know who you are) kept bothering me. Plus, I rekindled some form of love for this story. So I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Sky here.
> 
> So this is a story my friend Gracen and I are writing in our freetime. I hope you all enjoy.


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